Stringed musical instruments have occupied a prominent position in cultures throughout the world for millennia. After the advent of electricity, musicians started to experiment with creating electrical musical instruments.
One such musical instrument, the electric guitar, was invented in the 1930's. The instrument quickly became a standard instrument for jazz musicians who wanted to amplify the sounds produced by their instruments. In the decades that followed, electric guitars and electric bass guitars became some of the most popular instruments used in pop music. Even today, the electric guitar and electric bass guitar remain crucial elements of bands worldwide.
Electric guitars work by using an electromagnetic pickup that is typically placed below the strings of the guitar. The electromagnetic pickup has a magnet that is embedded within a coil of wire.
It is known by basic scientific principles that a changing magnetic field will cause an electric field and a current flow in and around the wire. This electric field and current is typically channeled to a mini pre-amplifier that is embedded within the body of the guitar. The signal is then typically channeled to an output jack that can be coupled to an amplifier that will produce an amplified sound.
One issue that has been addressed in various ways by musicians playing electric stringed instruments is the control and adjustment of the quality of the sound that is eventually produced by the instruments. It is well known, for instance, that knobs can be added to guitars to control and adjust the tone and/or volume of the sound produced by instrument. Additionally, sound modifying pedals can be used in conjunction with suitable electronic circuitry to modify the sound produced by the guitar.
Occasionally, a musician requires a guitar that can provide a greater amplified tone from certain strings than what a standard electric guitar configuration provides. Known prior art attempts to solve this problem involve adding control knobs that can adjust the lower or higher frequency signals to be transmitted to the amplifier.
Other prior art solutions involve having to buy expensive equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,101 by Santucci discloses a “new musical instrument which comprises the features of a common six string guitar and a normal electric bass, with four strings.” This solution not only produces a bulky and hard to handle musical instrument, but it also requires a sizable financial investment.
The present invention seeks to overcome the drawbacks and shortcomings of the prior art.